White Heart Before the Black Hole
by Thauro91
Summary: Sora has finally awoken, but not re-chained as Namine initially intended. Sora feels changes in his heart, mind and body... For he has slumbered several years too long... The world around him has not waited for him, instead, decayed into a new era. For now, Sora only searches for the one girl he's long sought after; soon to recruit a most unusual ally along the quiet roads ahead...


_**White Heart Before the Black Hole**_

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_**Code 1: Reboot and Rebirth**_

_Have you ever gazed deep into vindictive eyes only to find a reflection of yourself? Is it the eyes themselves, or what's being reflected through them, which makes them appear so evil? _

Hearing the strange riddle voiced clearly within the confines of his weary mind, Sora's eyes snapped open after what initially felt like only a short nap. He was trapped in a crystal like encasing which left him feeling weak and sickened. As he took a deep breath which felt uncomfortably unnatural, the crystal encasing shattered before him to create an opening to crawl out of.

Something was strange. Namine had Sora enter the capsule to re-chain lost memories, but he had no idea how long it had been since he fell into his deep slumber, nor did he recall much of significance at all. All Sora really remembered was that he was looking for his friends, but as far as the 'where' went... He could not remind himself.

For some reason the ground beneath him felt a little further from before he shut his eyes. As he squeezed his palms to try and reclaim his muscular control, his body felt heavier than it ever had before. Sora was shocked when he raised his hands up against his own face.

"I... Have facial hair?" Sora looked down at his body to find he had outgrown his clothes significantly, he had a muscular physique pressing tightly against the attire he could clearly see was now much too small. "Just how much have I aged?"

With eyes slowly regaining full focus, he glanced around carefully scanning his surroundings for any potential threat. Though there was no sign of danger, he could not believe what he saw. Thousands of crystal pods, just like the one he had regained consciousness in, were dumped and broken nearby. They all seemed to be empty from what he could tell but what surprised him was that this area seemed to be a dump site.

As Sora looked around more closely at his surroundings, he noticed the unfamiliar scenery was not actually foreign to him. It was just heavily modified from the town he once knew. Unusual graffiti had been sprayed in the now deserted Traverse town. Sora was puzzled by the sprawled painted messages along the the grounds, houses and square's walls, each written with a disturbed undertone but with contrastingly bright shades of warm colors.

_Oh deary me... Looks like someone's late!_

_Remember to smile at all times, especially when nobody is watching._

_Have you found her yet? The girl you're not looking for, that is._

As Sora made his way in the dark night, he felt as though he were being watched by more than just the glowing stars above him. His hair had grown longer and his body larger as his bones cracked during his stretch, he could sense from the subtle taste of the air alone that a great deal of time had passed and the world around him had drastically changed.

A strong breeze brought over the remains of a newspaper floating through miniature whirlwinds whispering within the silent city. As one loose leaf floated past Sora's eyes, his gloved hand swiped hold of the torn, dirt covered paper.

As he read the page, his stomach sank with nauseating disbelief. It had been seven years since the year he entered the crystal chamber... Meaning after his recent nap, he was now twenty two years old.

During the quiet of the late night, Sora heard a giant clock tower nearby loudly chime to reel his attention; it showed it was now midnight.

Then with an unsettling vibe, Sora felt a strong presence as darkness began to encroach the ground around him like a poisonous tar.

"Argh!" Sora tightly gripped his now rapidly beating heart as it throbbed with excruciating pain. Falling to his knees, his memories began to flood through him. A voice suddenly called out through the unsettled air.

"Sleeping beauty, is that you?" Asked a chuckling voice which echoed from all four of Sora's surrounding bearings.

Before Sora, appeared a rather disturbing image. It was his own reflection but animated according to a separate will. Living and breathing, Sora could see exactly what his twenty two year old self looked like as the clone before him stared deep into Sora's eyes.

"Who are you?" Sora asked, not yet threatened by the strange phenomena taking place before him. Perhaps one of Sora's few weaknesses were that he was often too trusting.

"Me? Why I'm anybody! Couldn't you tell just by looking?" The eccentric figure before him stated with a hint of disappointment. As he walked around the square, he lifted one hand in the air which pointed in whatever direction he carefully took wide strides towards. His way of walking was couldn't be called normal, but recalling seen the way Goofy and Donald waddled by his side in the past; the erratic behaviour didn't seem as insane as his spoken words.

"Can you tell me why I'm awake only now? Do you know anyone by the name of Namine, Donald, Goofy, Kairi or Riku?"

"Wouldn't have the slightest idea young chap!" He then began to dig his pockets frantically until with great excitement he exclaimed. "Oh, oh, You'll like this! I wrote a poem for you! Yes sir, you'll love it. Everyone loves my poetry! It drives them mad... with joy that is, yes joy!" The mimicking figure nervously unruffled the crumpled parchment and began reading out loud with a sense of pride.

_"Sora is somebody, _

_And nobody is Sora's reflection. _

_To be heartless is to be human, _

_But one is no longer human when they become a heartless. _

_The heartless have clashed with nobody in the past, _

_For one wished to be more human than the other, _

_but the irony of being human is to embrace that you are a heartless nobody! _

_So now I ask. Who are you, Sora? A nobody? A heartless? Or both, a human?"_

The strange reflection proudly folded the parchment back into his right pocket and with both hands held behind his back he puffed his chest out and asked, "Well, what do you think? I think I read it quite well seeing as transparent ink can be difficult to read at times."

Sora did not open his mouth, he would not buy the charades he was witnessing even for a second. "I think you're a liar. You know my name, so you must have some idea of my friends' whereabouts. I don't know what you're playing at and I don't wish anything against you... But I don't like it when people hide behind masks while speaking to me. Until you show yourself, I won't buy any of this."

"Oh but Sora, I told you who I am already... If you're surprised I know your name, well you shouldn't be... _Everyone_ knows your name! It's basic knowledge." The figure before him stated as he threw his hands into the air casually.

"And what makes me so special?" Sora questioned with a cautious curiosity.

"Because you're the one responsible... for all this anarchy." The reflection stated with wide eyes as he turned and raised his arms all around him.

Sora looked closely at the buildings he once knew to be lit and housed with liveliness despite the dangers within lurking shadows of the town's night time. It once was a relatively safe place but now everything had disappeared and there was no sign of life whatsoever.

"If only you woke up on time, Sora. I understand we enjoy the occasional sleep in... But six years is a bit ridiculous, don't you think?" The reflection jested with a side glance and nervous tug on his collar using one finger.

Sora tightened his grip on his weapon as his eyes focused cautiously anticipating the stranger's next words.

"Sora, what is that?" The mysterious man asked softly. "You fight with big key, is that really your weapon of choice?" The being before Sora raised one eye brow, looking rather unimpressed.

"...Where are my friends? What happened to these people? Tell me, were they evacuated?" Sora said tightening his grip further while glaring with threatening eyes.

"What if I don't? Are you going to unlock me to death?" He insulted as he pointed at the Keyblade. "May I have a demonstration of that useless tool? I'm ever so eager in anticipation to see how it works. Just please don't ask me to bend-"

"I'm not your enemy. I'm looking for someone very special to me. Please, can't you at least tell me someone who can point the way to her. I just want to know that she's safe. It's been too long since I began this journey! How can I be further away from my goal after coming so close?!" Sora's frustrations showed as he desperately sliced the air before him and fell to one knee with a sudden fatigue; perhaps from lack of adjustment to his new physique.

"The girl? You're still chasing her? ...Oh dear, this isn't good." The figure began to pace anxiously backwards and forwards. From his mannerisms Sora sensed he might have been a neurotic man in his early twenties. At least such were the vibes he was receiving.

"You see I really hoped you and I could be best of friends, Sora. However, girlfriends just don't let their boyfriends off the shackles. She'll tie you down to a leash and you'll never be able to hang out with me like we are now. Never be able to have the time of our lives just chatting the night away, or drinking beer at the pub, or even threatening to kill each other if we don't step out of the other's way. Because you see, that's what friends do, Sora... They hurt each other. All because they care of course." The man nodded slowly with a sad and sympathetic expression. "You've been a good friend to Kairi... to hurt her for so very long."

Sora did not know how to respond, the man before him was playing mind games and he was finally beginning to feel unsettled by them. There was a strange threat emanating from this being, it was similar to the aura Maleficent gave; an angst he'd not easily forget.

"Sora, you're the quietest friend I've ever made... I like that! The ones I usually imagine won't shut up when I talk to them in my head."

"I'm not a part of your imagination!" Sora spat.

"No? Then am I perhaps a part of yours?" The reflection stated with a wide grin.

To Sora's shock the creature before him began to morph until its outline transformed into Riku's, a very close friend who had recently succumbed to the power of the heartless.

"You can't fool me with illusions. I can tell my real friends apart from the fakes." Sora stated calmly and confidently.

"Sora, I'm hurt! I've been nothing but honest with you until now. I just want a fair duel." That second, without a trace of warning, the encroaching black tar began to protrude creatures into the third dimension. These heartless were different. They were all Riku's outline wielding the fatal weapon known as Oblivion.

"Give me a good show." With a final wink from the riddlesome entity, Sora roared as he dashed forward at incredible speeds to clear the rising black.

From his right, two figures emerged simultaneously with simultaneously timed slashes. Evading the high swing with a weave and the low slice with a butterfly kick, Sora sliced in half the third enemy approaching from the left as he spun whilst airborne; one with the drilling Keyblade.

A flurry of hammering strikes then came raining down by a fourth charging heartless. Each would soon be gracefully deflected by Sora's honed skill, creating the sound of scraping steel as sparks highlighted the outline of Riku's features on the dozen hollow, raven colored monsters who joined in the assault from all directions.

Completely surrounded, Sora crouched and shifted all his weight into his calves to push up off with all his might into the sky. Feeling a noticeable increase in his leg strength, his launch into the night sky gave him ten feet of distance. At peak height he summoned the power of lightning by raising his weapon and roaring a thunder cry. Bolts showered down to disintegrate the majority of the shadow like embodiments.

When Sora landed, he did not pause to even breath. At light speeds he blitzed straight to the single Riku clone who had not once raised his jet black blade this entire time.

Sora held his weapon along his waist in a deepened stance, inches before him. If he didn't like what he heard, then it would be no trouble to slice his opponent in half. Yet all his opponent did was drop his weapon and slowly clap with his head bowed in silent delight.

"Bravo... Alice will be most impressed."

"You know Alice? Wait, what's the use of asking you, you're completely mad!"

"Why young sir... A long time ago a good friend of mine told me, we're all mad here... Too bad he was a talking cat." With a manic laugh the clone turned into an ash like mist and drifted away with the blowing winds. The only thing which fell in place of where he stood was an old fashioned English hat, which seemed to be leaking mercury from underneath it.

In the near distance, a sign of life caught Sora's attention. A single house's light had turned on in the near distance. A house he could recall with a smile if its old residents were still to be found inside.

With several knocks on the door upon approaching the burgundy coated entrance. Sora could not believe how eerie this ghost town had become, which was perhaps why the one who answered provided such an incredible contrast to his lonesome surroundings.

With a bright warm smile, an incredibly sweet voice of a flower girl greeted him enthusiastically. "Sora! It's so wonderful to see you again!" She approached him and took one of his hands warmly in both of hers.

Sora had not known Aerith for too long, but the little time he had shared with her lead him to believe she was someone with heart as pure as white and a will which gently sheltered. Graciously inviting Sora inside, she was quick to seat him by the fire when she realised how pale and cold Sora's hand was.

_"_Is he here?" Sora asked without wasting a moment of time. Aerith who shot him a look of worry through her fragile complexion had many of her own questions to ask, but she wisely understood Sora looked in no condition to answer them at present.

"He... He is. And yet he is not." Aerith voiced with melancholy.

Time had withered her affect from worry, though she was still as beautiful as a rose, only, her petals seemed faintly wilted now.

"Come this way, I'll take you to him." Aerith lead Sora up the stars of the small cosy upper class home. At the top floor, Aerith sat down at bedside where Sora could see a familiar face resting one cheek wearily against the softness of a white mattress. Still tightly clutching the sword that was almost his size in length, how a man could wield such strength, I'd simply never know.

Sora did not open his mouth to disturb the one on the bed, instead he smiled warmly at Aerith as he shook his head, suggesting they leave this meeting for another day.

Once they were back downstairs Sora remained silent for a long time as they both sipped on warm honey tea. Aerith sighed and knew Sora was only looking to find his next lead, not to stay and chat or seek comfort without knowing his friends were well.

"You have to head to the colosseum," Aerith whispered quietly. "There is total anarchy taking place there. It's your closest lead to finding where Kairi is. I think Hercules might have an idea, if he's... Still himself that is."

"What do you mean by 'still himself'?" Sora inquired.

"..." Aerith seemed to have trouble saying what she wanted to, so Sora did not persist. With a hand gently placed on her shoulder, he thanked her for everything and pleaded she not get up to see him out by stepping out into the night's chill.

"Thank you for the information. I'll leave immediately then." Sora stated in departure but Aerith called out desperately one last time.

"Wait. You've really grown up. When he's better, you can count on his sword to be swung by your side in battle. I'll join you soon too if need be."

"Don't you guys worry. I'll have everything sorted for him to wake up to a beautiful Traverse town. Just leave it to me Aerith. Do your best to help him rest and get well soon, OK? And don't push yourself too hard either!" Sora said with a radiant smile and a confident wink.

"Before I go, Aerith, I just have one question... Why do I feel so weak? My body has become... Well, shouldn't I be stronger as a man? Am I just not used to it yet?"

Aerith seemed hesitant to answer but she knew he deserved to know the truth. "It's your heart Sora. I felt it when you entered today. It's... grown weaker."

"Why? What have I done to it?" Sora asked with a look of confusion.

"The bonds you had made with the people you met on your journey have withered like unwatered flora. Sadly time has corroded the power of the Keyblade as many people who once gave you strength, have grown weak or... disappeared. If you travel to their worlds and restore those bonds along with balancing the chaos and anarchy which has recently spread... Then I'm sure you'll be fine." Aerith gave a gentle reassuring nod as she smiled hopefully in Sora's direction.

"I see," Sora smiled innocently with his hand scratching the back of his head a little guiltily, "Looks like there's a bit more pressure now." He said as he glanced down at the Keyblade. "It does feel strangely heavier. Which didn't make sense at first since my body is clearly stronger. Well if you say it'll get better than I'll trust you!" Sora said with a comforted look.

"There's one other problem too though, Aerith." Sora paused, cautious as to how he would phrase his next words.

"What's that?" Aerith asked him delicately.

Sora wondered how best to tell her what was troubling him. However no matter what he thought of, he could not shape words which would not worry his kindhearted friend. Sora did not wish to stress Aerith with a problem she would be unlikely able to help him with, especially not considering how much worried she already was.

"I-It's nothing." Sora smiled weakly as he waved goodbye and began to leave.

"Wait, there's someone you should take with you. You'll need a ship after all. The perfect person to accompany you is Alice. She's in town actually, she flew in from wonderland three days ago. Perhaps you could meet up with her? I think she's staying at the inn now actually."

"That's a good idea... Thank you. Take care Aerith. I'll be back to visit soon."

"Oh and watch out!" Aerith warned. "Since becoming a young lady, she's not so... Innocent anymore. I saw her hold her own against the heartless recently. She might be as skilled as Yuffie soon! Don't say anything to upset her, 'kay? Girls are delicate, you know!" Aerith pointed her finger like a teacher with a strict expression but was quick to break into a cheeky giggle.

Happy to see her being playful once again, Sora reassured her, "All of my best friends know how to hold their own in a fight. So I'm sure we'll get along great!"

As Sora set out into the cold dark winter's night. He realized it would not have been a good idea to share what was troubling him at all. Instead thoughts regarding his worries spiraled within his mind quietly voiced to himself.

_It happened just moments after the fighting just now._

_It's a surreal feeling for sure guys,_

_What does this mean Namine?... _

_Riku, I bet you'd know what's wrong with me... You always had all the answers.  
Donald, Goofy... What would you two think of me if you both knew?_

_...I don't feel it anymore..._

_...It doesn't even make a sound..._

_...Not even a gentle thump..._

_...Kairi..._

_-Why is my heart no longer beating?-_

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_**A.N:**__ This was just the first chapter of a story I planned to write. I don't know whether to invest time in it or not though. So I just upload one chapter only to see if it catches on to decide. Let me know what you guys think of my writing :) Corrections and reviews will be greatly appreciated. _

_Kind Regards,_

_Thauro91_


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